Construction of the Nghi Son - Dien Chau section of the North-South Expressway will begin in July 2021.

Contractors have been selected for the Nghi Son - Dien Chau expressway project.

ProjectNorth-South ExpresswayThe section passing through Nghi Son - Dien Chau (Nghe An) is 43.5km long and has 4 bidding packages, of which 3 packages have had contractors identified, including:Package XL01 (Km380+000 - Km389+900) is being undertaken by a consortium of Son Hai Group Co., Ltd., Deo Ca Group Joint Stock Company, and Deo Ca Construction Joint Stock Company. The contract value is VND 1,100 billion, and it will commence on July 2nd, 2021, and last for 24 months. Regarding construction progress, the contractor is currently mobilizing equipment, machinery, and personnel to the construction site for implementation.

Internal roads within the resettlement area of ​​the North-South Expressway project in Quynh Vinh - Hoang Mai. Photo: Tran Chau

The second package is Package XL02 (Km389+900 - Km405+000). Project Management Board 6 is currently evaluating the financial proposal documents to submit to the Ministry of Transport for approval of the contractor selection results.

The third package is Package XL03 (Km405+000 - Km419+600), with a contract value of VND 1.266 billion, and the construction contract has been signed. The fourth package is Package XL04 (Km419+600 - Km430+000).Construction contractor: Joint venture of CIENCO4 Group Joint Stock Company - Tan Nam Construction Joint Stock Company - Truong Son Construction Investment Joint Stock Company; Contract value: VND 1,139 billion. Currently, the contractor is mobilizing equipment, machinery and personnel to the construction site to begin work.

Based on the progress mentioned above, it can be seen that the Nghi Son - Dien Chau section has been under construction since July 2021; however, land clearance is facing many obstacles.

Focus on handing over the site.

According to the report of Section 6 of the Ministry of Transport, land clearance has been completed for 40km out of 43.5km along the route, reaching 92%. Land clearance in terms of area has been completed for 365.7/392.1 hectares, reaching 93.2%.

Over the past period, the Department of Transport (the Standing Agency of the Provincial Steering Committee) has regularly urged and directed localities to focus on accelerating the progress of compensation, support, and resettlement for the North-South East Expressway projects, the section passing through Nghe An province.

The Dien Phuc - Dien Chau resettlement area is not yet completed. Photo: Tran Chau

To date, the People's Committees of the districts and towns have made efforts and focused on implementing compensation, support, and resettlement work for the project, and have achieved certain results in land clearance, such as: clearing approximately 81/87.84 km, reaching 92%; completing the basic construction of 21/27 residential resettlement areas, and allocating land to households in 16/27 areas; relocating technical infrastructure, completing one water system (Hung Nguyen), a 110kV power line (Yen Thanh), and relocating 351/655 graves.

To ensure the project is implemented on schedule, the Provincial People's Committee has consistently provided decisive direction and resolved difficulties and obstacles within its authority; the relevant departments and agencies have paid attention to guiding localities and advising the Provincial People's Committee on resolving issues according to their respective functions and duties.

Power line disruptions in Dien Chau district. Photo: Tran Chau

However, the progress of compensation, support, and resettlement work in localities is still slow and has not met the deadlines set by the Government, the Ministry of Transport, and the Provincial People's Committee (completion before June 30, 2021).

Currently, approximately 6.84 km of the project remains unfinished; six resettlement areas are still incomplete; technical infrastructure (electricity, water, telecommunications, etc.) has not yet been relocated; 181 graves have not been relocated; and 219 out of 4,859 households have not yet received compensation, including: 133 households in Hoang Mai; 16 households in Quynh Luu; 24 households in Yen Thanh; and 46 households in Dien Chau.

The biggest obstacle currently is the power lines. 69 out of 70 power line locations remain to be relocated. The 220kV power line is in the process of selecting a consulting firm to prepare the construction drawings; the 110kV power line has not yet completed land clearance for the pole foundations for relocation; medium and low voltage power lines have not been relocated; and Viettel cables (along with power poles and VNPT poles) have not been relocated.

Mr. Le Truong Giang, Secretary of the Hoang Mai Town Party Committee, stated: "The North-South Expressway project is a crucial project currently under the Government's focused direction and is regularly inspected and monitored for progress. Recognizing its importance, the town has focused on land clearance in recent times; however, many issues still need to be resolved. The town needs to promptly announce the infrastructure investment plan so that people can make informed choices, and accelerate the land clearance process to meet the province's requirements while ensuring compliance with all legal regulations."

In Quynh Luu district, there are still 15 households that have not reached an agreement. 32 out of 47 households have been allocated resettlement plots by lottery, but 5 graves remain to be relocated.

Representatives from Department 6 of the Ministry of Transport met with Hoang Mai town authorities to resolve land clearance issues. Photo: Tran Chau

Regarding the disbursement of sufficient funds, to date, Committee 6 has allocated 1,217.68/1,508.14 billion VND, and has disbursed 1,008.74/1,217.68 billion VND, reaching 82% (of which: In 2021, the Committee allocated 275.15 billion VND, and has disbursed 69.3/275.15 billion VND, reaching 25.2% (specifically: Hoang Mai Town 26.4/113 billion VND, reaching 23.3%; Quynh Luu 30.11/72.15 billion VND, reaching 41.73%; Dien Chau 10.3/75 billion VND, reaching 13.73%; Yen Thanh 2.5/15 billion VND, reaching 16.67%).

According to the Department of Transport, the reasons for the delay are: Some localities have not mobilized the entire political system to decisively direct the process. The management and direction of the Land Clearance Council, district-level departments, commune-level People's Committees, and implementing units have not been truly decisive, leading to delays in meeting the required progress.

In some localities, the land clearance councils have not been highly responsible, and the work of disseminating information and mobilizing the people has not been vigorous enough, leading to a segment of the population still disagreeing with the policies and guidelines on land clearance compensation for the project (such as illegally constructed buildings on agricultural land, requests for vocational retraining and job creation five times, land disputes between the government and the people...), and disagreeing with the land clearance compensation rates... In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has slowed down the progress.

Currently, the government is closely monitoring the progress of the entire route, and the project's disbursement requirements are very high. Therefore, more than ever, the handover of land to the investor needs to be completed soon so that the project can be finished and put into service for economic and social development.

According to the design, the North-South expressway component project...Nghi Son - Dien Chau sectionStarting at Km380+000 after the intersection with the Nghi Son - Bai Tranh road, the route heads south, passing about 80 km from the Khe Nhoi dam, then crosses Mong Ga mountain via the Truong Vinh tunnel, crosses the Hoang Mai river and crosses Ba Chop mountain in the area between Khe May lake and An Nghia lake, turns right to intersect National Highway 48B (formerly Provincial Road 537), crosses the Cau Giat - Nghia Dan railway line, and intersects with National Highway 48 in Dien Doai commune.